Mayor White is now asking anyone with space to volunteer their home, garage apartment, office building, warehouse, whatever, to help support the nearly 100,000 hurricane victims expected to arrive in Houston in the coming days and weeks.
The report I heard was that everyone is searched for weapons, most were given up voluntarily, several people were arrested. The video I saw from inside: everything looked well organized and civil.
I feel overwhelmed. Distracted from my job. Knowing I'll be busy with this for quite some time. Can't tell you how immensely grateful I am for this site as a place to "vent" and pass along information. Thank you so much. Clutch, I owe a donation.
You know what's sad is how some reporters were throwing Houston under the bus when the doors to the dome were shut, as if we weren't gonna try and help these people at all and that promises were being broken. 100,000 refugees flowing into a city of 2 million is going to be a a tremendous burden and you'd think they could cut us some slack if things don't go so smoothly on this voluntary effort.
AND THE PEOPLE ARE FREAKING BEING REDIRECTED TO OTHER SHELTERS!!! again...as of late yesterday afternoon, the Red Cross was telling us at the church that they didn't need us a shelter, because they had an abundance of space. clearly that situation is changing. but that was the party line yesterday, when houston was getting trashed for "turning people away" at the Dome. when really what was happening is those people were being redirected to other shelters.
The only thing I have heard officially is that there was 1 person arrested for fighting and 2 arrested for peeping into the women's shower. There are alot of rumors going around though. I would choose not to believe the rumors though. Especially from a blog. The media even is just throwing information out there without doing any fact-checking as displayed earlier in this thread.
That's what I'm seeing too. Last night one of the local channels (13 or 2) interviewed a doctor and he said they need more physicians, nurses and supplies. They asked him about reported deaths and he spoke of one, a cardiac arrest. He didn't say anything about the chaos.
However, please check with your homeowner's insurance before you do anything. While 99.9% of people will be grateful for your help, someone who gets injured on your property can sue you for everything you have if you are not insured properly. Just something they are distributing on many webboards. However, if you are covered, then please do what you can to help whoever you can.
From our mayor, on opening up the George R. Brown in addition to Reliant Center and Reliant Arena for the housing of evacuees: "If it entails somebody suing us, OK, sue and explain to the American public where money is more important than lives," Houston Mayor Bill White said. "This is an emergency and the people of this region will respond in appropriate fashion." Houston's been gettin a lotta love for our efforts in helping these people and that statement is exactly why.
Finally. http://www.nola.com/newsflash/natio...al-50/112576794148260.xml&storylist=hurricane Carnival sending three ships for refugees 9/3/2005, 12:14 p.m. CT By TRAVIS REED The Associated Press (AP) — Federal officials are chartering three of Carnival Cruise Lines' ships for six months, part of a plan to provide shelter for as many as 7,000 people displaced by devastating Hurricane Katrina. The three ships — the Ecstasy, Sensation and Holiday — will be pulled from regular use starting Monday. Ecstasy, normally ported at Galveston for four-and five-day cruises, and Sensation, normally in New Orleans for similar trips, will both be pulled Monday and are scheduled to dock and house Katrina refugees in Galveston, Texas. The Holiday, which normally sails four and five-day Mexico cruises out of Mobile, Ala., will be pulled Thursday and likely docked in Mobile. Approximately 920 crew members will staff the 70,367 gross-ton Ecstasy and Sensation, with about 660 running the 46,052-ton Holiday. The Ecstasy and Sensation can each take 2,606 total passengers, while the Holiday can hold 1,800. "We sincerely apologize to those guests whose vacations have been impacted by these voyage cancellations," Carnival CEO Bob Dickinson said in a news release. "This inconvenience ... will provide desperately needed housing for thousands of individuals affected by this tragedy." Federal officials asked Carnival, the world's largest cruise line, shortly after Katrina slammed into the Gulf coast if their ships could be used as emergency shelters. Carnival spokesman Vance Gulliksen said Saturday from Miami, where the corporation is based, that it does not disclose the price of charter contracts, and it's virtually impossible to tell precisely how many trips will be canceled. "I can't put a number on it, but we are displacing people to accommodate the FEMA charter," he said. "You're looking at tens of thousands." A FEMA spokeswoman did not immediately return a telephone message Saturday seeking comment. All guests with canceled bookings will get full refunds and the opportunity to re-book on any Carnival ship with a $100-per-person shipboard credit. Because of the deployments, The Elation, which operates seven-day cruises from Galveston, will offer a one-time six-day voyage departing Sept. 4, then take over the Ecstasy's four and five-day Galveston program starting next Saturday. Guests will receive a 15 percent refund and a $50-per-person shipboard credit. The ship's five-day cruise, scheduled to leave Monday, has been canceled.
http://www.nola.com/newslogs/breaki...a_Times-Picayune/archives/2005_09.html#077593 Wednesday, September 07, 2005 Astrodome will soon be empty Wednesday, 8:15 a.m. Harris County Judge Robert Eckles, coordinating the relief effort at the Astrodome, said Wednesday morning he expects the facility to be emptied in a couple of weeks. "This is a shelter, not a home," he said. He said officials have been moving about 1,500 a day to permanent housing. Eckles and other Houston officials said the city can handle the estimated 150,000 to 200,000 residents from Louisiana who evacuated from Katrina. "We're a big city - about 5 million - and that's about the size of the entire state of Louisiana," he said. "We'll deal with it if they stay." Eckles said officials continue the work of finding family members who have been separated from their loved ones, saying hundreds have already been reunited so far. He also said the business community in Houston and throughout Texas has embraced the effort to help out in the aftermath of Katrina, working to provide job placement opportunities. "They come here broken," he said of the flow of displaced residents, which includes 15,000 at the Astrodome. "Our community has embraced these folks."
